Uninvited
by Cynamin
Summary: 1st in the "Roommates From Hell" series. Why humans make good roommates


#  Uninvited

##  Roommates From Hell #1

###  by [Cynamin][1]

**Rating**: PG-13 for some violence and swearing   
**Couples**: Spike/Layla (original character), some B/A referred to, but in the past.   
**Summary**: 40 years in the future, Spike and Layla reluctantly take on a new roommate…or two.   
**Spoilers**: Absolutely none.   
**Disclaimer**: I own Chloe. Stacey owns Layla (as much as anyone can 'own' that girl…). Joss Whedon owns Spike and Angel. We're just borrowing them to…well, you can use your imagination.   
**Author's Note**: My goodness, this is a first – I'm not writing a B/A story! So, minor apologies to those of you who expect B/A from me. This series idea was just too much fun to ignore.   
**_**An important note to avoid confusion**_** - While I have used the character of Layla before (in "Breathing Easy") this series has nothing to do with that story. In fact, just imagine that she's a completely new character. _My_ roommate and I came up with the characters a while ago from our own play-acting/banter, and Layla was too much fun to leave with only one story.   


* * *

_Lesson #1: Why Humans Make Good Roommates_

It was a relatively warm night for late fall, and the downtown streets were filled with people. Many of the stores had stayed open late to take advantage of the crowds, but most of the people were only window-shopping, anyway. They wandered along, looking from shop to shop, chatting amongst themselves, completely oblivious to the fact that there was a demon in their midst. 

Which was exactly how it should be. Exactly how it had always been. 

Spike grinned to himself as he wove in between the oblivious people. Nothing had changed in the last forty years. But then, nothing much had changed in all the time since he'd become a vampire. People were just as oblivious to vampires and demons as they ever were. 

Not that Spike could do anything about it. _Bloody chip._

So Spike just wandered among the people. He felt like a kid in a candy store where everything was free and he was quite literally physically unable to sample the treats. He hungered for violence, too, but he couldn't do much more about that than his hunger for blood. 

A gaggle of giggling teenage girls made their way down the street, completely oblivious to Spike on the sidewalk going in the opposite direction. He refused to stand aside for them. Just because he couldn't hurt them – suck them dry, tear their hearts out sort of thing – didn't mean he had to make it easy for them. 

The girls didn't even look at Spike as they shouldered past. One of the girls ran into him, and Spike stumbled into a niche between two buildings. She flashed him an apologetic smile and then she was gone. 

Spike was about to head back into the crowds – he was looking for a present for a certain special someone – when something caught his attention. Beneath the alley smell of garbage was the faint whiff of demon. Even fainter, but obvious now that Spike was paying attention, was the sound of fighting. 

_At least I can still hurt something – tonight won't be a total waste,_ Spike thought as he made his way deeper into the alley. 

The sight that greeted Spike behind the building was pretty much as he expected: three big, ugly, slimy…demons were beating on a fourth, smaller, human looking figure. Not entirely expected was that whoever that fourth being was (Spike didn't really care about the identities on either side) had apparently given the demons quite a run for their money. One more demon was laying one the damp ground…several feet from its severed head. So, it was a safe bet that neither side was human. All the more fun… 

Spike jumped in on the loosing side, not because of any altruistic intentions, but because it meant more demons to fight. "All right, boys…hell, whatever you are…it's my turn. I haven't had a good fight in weeks!" 

The demons turned their attention from one foe to another, and from what Spike could decipher from the looks on their faces were figuring him to be little more than a nuisance. Barely worth the effort. What they didn't realize was that Spike had all this pent up violence and they were the only targets available. Spike was more than happy to give them a good fight. The man whose side he'd joined for the battle didn't take the time to thank Spike for his help…but they were both otherwise engaged, so Spike really couldn't blame him. The man continued to get in some solid blows with a fancy looking axe, while Spike just relied on himself and any alley junk he'd happened to grab. 

A couple of minutes later, the battle was over. Two of the demons had fled, and the third was lying down, bleeding profusely from where both Spike and the other had managed to stab it. Speaking of the other… 

"Thanks…I needed a good fight," Spike said conversationally, not really looking at him. 

"Spike." 

The voice – weary, slightly dismayed, and very familiar – drew Spike's attention immediately. For the first time, he _really_ looked at who he'd just saved. Like he'd suspected, he wasn't human at all: a vampire, dirty, injured, barely conscious, and rather underweight from when Spike had seen him last. "Angel?" 

The vampire just looked at him, obviously on the verge of passing out. 

Spike couldn't help but chuckle at his Sire's expense. "You're pathetic, you know that?" 

Angel didn't make any response but to glare at his childe…and then to loose his battle with unconsciousness. 

"Well, isn't that just great!" Spike said in disgust, though Angel could no longer hear him. "Now I have to carry you!" He grumbled to himself as he managed to pick up the larger vampire. "I should just leave you here," he declared, even as he began walking with Angel slung over his shoulders. "That's it…I spent way too much time around your goody-goody friends in Sunnydale…." 

* * *

Layla was pacing the large, three bedroom apartment. It had been pretty ridiculous in the beginning to get such a large apartment for just the two of them, but it happened to have the least direct sunlight out of any apartment in the complex. It also had one additional good thing going for it; its long hallway was great for pacing. And right now, Layla was doing a lot of pacing. 

Spike was supposed to have been back over an hour ago. 

"Where the hell is he?" she yelled at no one in particular. 

A loud thump at the front door answered her. 

"Well, it's about time!" she declared, hurrying towards the door. "Where have you-" she opened the door and froze. To her credit, though, she recovered quickly. "When you said you were going to bring me back something, this isn't what I had in mind." 

Spike grunted under the weight of the body he half dragged, half carried. "Just help me get him into the room." 

"Spike…" Layla began, even as she took some of the unconscious vampire's weight. 

"I'll explain in a minute," he replied. 

So Layla didn't say anything, just helped Spike carry the unconscious vampire into one of the two empty rooms. There was a bed in there in case of 'visitors,' and she was sure their unconscious guest would appreciate it…if he ever woke up. 

Layla dropped her portion of the weight rather carelessly on the bed. Spike was only slightly less careless. That done, he sat down heavily in the bedroom's only chair. "You'd better be grateful for this," he muttered at the unconscious vampire. "You are one heavy-" 

"Spike," Layla interrupted a bit testily, "are you going to explain now?" Spike looked up as if he'd forgotten her for a second. That didn't make her feel any better, either. "Are you going to tell me who you dragged in here? Maybe let me know how long he's staying? You know, I live here, too." 

"Sorry, love," he replied after a moment. "I wasn't expecting to be bringing him here, either." 

"Well, who is he?" 

Spike reclined a bit more in the chair. "He's my sire," he said at last. 

"Oh," Layla said in understanding. Under the circumstances, the intrusion of the unconscious vampire made a little more sense. Then something brought Layla up short. "Wait a second," she said. "I know you don't mean the nut house escapee that made you. You mean the one you used to run with, the traitor who went and married the Slayer?" 

Spike nodded. "Yeah, that would be him. Angel, 'Scourge of Europe' turned scourge of the undead," he said, sounding more annoyed than anything else. 

"Why'd you bring him here?" Layla asked, a bit disgusted. Sure, Spike killed the occasional demon, but he was still evil, unlike… 

"Where else was I going to take him?" Spike retorted. "Look, I may not like him, but I don't want him to really end up dead." He looked at Layla seriously. "I don't understand it, either." 

Layla said nothing for a long moment. "Do you want me to do anything?" she asked at last. 

"You could bring me some blood for him," Spike said slowly. "And some bandages. He was getting his ass kicked before I got there." 

"Sure," Layla said, and left the room. 

A couple of seconds after her departure, the silent occupant of the room was finally heard from. "Spike?" 

Spike – exhausted from carrying Angel across town – dragged himself out of the chair so that he could glare at the older vampire. "Well, it's about bloody time!" he declared. "You couldn't have woken up before I dragged you all the way here?" 

Angel just looked at him in confusion. "What am I doing here?" 

"You passed out," Spike reminded him. "What was I supposed to do; leave you there for the sunlight or the next demon that came along?" 

Angel sat up. "Thanks, I think, but I really have places to go." 

"Not likely!" Spike retorted, standing to block any attempt at departure. "I didn't carry you all the way here just to have you go out and get killed!" 

"Spike…" Angel said dangerously. 

"Oh, don't look at me like that. Right now, I could easily beat you to a pulp." 

"And enjoy it immensely," Layla chimed in from the bedroom doorway. 

Angel glared at them both. "This is none of your business," he said. 

"Why not? Are you trying to get yourself killed or something?" Angel looked at Spike sharply, and Spike returned his glare. "She's dead, mate. She's been dead for nearly twenty years, and you getting yourself killed isn't going to bring her back. And neither is killing every demon out there tonight." He stepped closer to Angel. "She is dead." 

Angel stood angrily. "Do _not_ talk about Buffy. This has nothing to do with her." 

Spike just grinned. "Well, there's some of the old spirit!" he declared. 

Angel just kept right on glaring at him. The deceased Slayer was definitely a sore point. 

Spike rolled his eyes. "Well, whatever this is about…you're in terrible shape. You should never have been out of it as long as you were. And how long _has_ it been since you've fed?" 

Angel's anger faded somewhat. "I'm not quite sure." 

"And you're planning to go back out there?" Spike asked pointedly. "That's just suicide for those that don't have the guts to greet the sunrise." He staved off any additional angry retorts by taking the warmed glass of blood and passing it to the elder vampire. Angel took it a bit warily. "On the house," Spike said easily. "If you're staying, you can make up for it by joining in paying the rent." 

Angel sat on the bed again slowly. "I-" 

"What?" Spike demanded. "Drink up." Seeing the souled vampire's reluctance, Spike just looked at him in exasperation. "Listen. If you can't feed in from of family, who can you feed in front of?" 

Angel took a long sip. "Spike?" 

Spike shot him a 'what now?' look. 

"Thank you. For helping me out there tonight." 

Spike shrugged. "I wasn't helping you. I was killing demons," he retorted. "Besides, it's much more fun having you around to abuse than having you dead." He grinned. 

Angel returned his grin weakly and went back to his meal. 

* * *

Life, such as it was for the three vampires, settled into a pattern that, if not exactly happy, at least quickly became familiar. Angel was comfortably established in the furnished guest room and it was slowly but surely becoming his own. Despite Spike's insistence that he didn't care about Angel – and Layla's annoyance at his presence in general – it seemed they meant for Angel to stay there, if not permanently, at least for the foreseeable future. 

Angel's presence was making itself known pretty much everywhere in the apartment except for Spike and Layla's bedroom. It was most noticeable in the kitchen, which now included some of the very human comfort foods he'd grown accustomed to as well as blood. Still, Angel tried to be a discreet presence, staying out of Spike and Layla's way. For one, he spent a lot of time in his room; brooding and antisocial perhaps, but it was in his nature. When he wasn't there, he was hunting. Despite his generally weakened state there was no way he was going to stop that. Besides, with blood readily available and regular exercise, Angel's physical condition was rapidly improving. 

Just because Angel made himself easy to ignore, however, didn't mean he was oblivious to what else was going on in the apartment. A couple of weeks had passed and Angel was relaxing in his room a couple of hours before dawn. Spike was out and about somewhere, probably working out his frustrations on some helpless demon. Layla was also in the apartment, pacing back and forth on an apparent cleaning frenzy that, while most unlike her, had begun about an hour before. 

Sitting in his room, Angel heard the door open and close, indicating Spike's return. A second later, Layla's voice rang out through the apartment. 

"Hold it right there!" 

Angel winced out of consideration for their neighbors and stepped out of his room to see what was going on…and possibly to prevent bloodshed. The first thing he saw was Spike, frozen in mid turn after closing the door. Layla was standing in the hallway, holding up in the air a pair of women's underwear. A pair of *large* women's underwear. 

"Umm…" Spike stuttered, obviously a bit flabbergasted. 

"These aren't mine," Layla declared. 

"Well, no, obviously, love," Spike agreed. 

Layla glared at him. "Do you know whose they are?" she demanded. When Spike did not answer, she clarified, "I found them under the washer and dryer." 

Spike shrugged. "I don't have a clue." 

Layla looked at Angel then a bit pointedly, seeing that he was listening. 

"Don't look at me," Angel defended himself, holding up his hands. 

"What is this?" Layla demanded angrily. "Can any vampire just crash here now – use our washing machine, drink our blood?" 

"It's not like they need an invitation to get in here," Spike excused them helplessly. 

"Well, maybe if someone would lock the door every once in a while!" Layla complained. 

"You're just as guilty of not doing that as me, love," Spike pointed out. 

Layla glared at him. "Spike…" 

Spike finally stepped into the hallway so that he, Layla, Angel, and the large pair of underwear could hold something like a normal conversation and not yell across the apartment. "Listen," he said calmly, "the only way you're not going to have random vampires crashing here is if there was a human living here," he said, jokingly. "You know, so they'd have to be invited." 

"That might not be such a bad idea," Angel said quietly, speaking up for the first time. 

Both Layla and Spike looked at him in shock. 

"Think about it," Angel said reasonably. "You'll get more privacy – no random vampires coming in and out. There will be someone here able to take care of daytime sorts of things – deliveries, repair men as necessary…" 

"Talk to the people in the leasing office, " Spike said, catching onto the idea. 

"Exactly." Paying rent could be a bit tricky when the office was only open when the sun was up. Spike had gotten quite a reputation for dashing in there right before it closed with his coat up over his head. 

Spike looked at Angel with a slight grin. "Plus, you'll get someone else with a soul around here to talk with." 

Angel shrugged. That was another plus for him, certainly. His soul placed him somewhere between human and vampire. It might be nice to interact with both for a change. 

"Plus, if the blood supply ever gets low, we have emergency rations," Layla added with a grin that said she knew she wasn't going to get away with that comment. 

Spike chuckled. "Somehow, I don't think eating your roommate is the best way to avoid unwanted attention, he pointed out. 

"Just go ahead and spoil my fun," Layla mock pouted. "I still get to uninvite all of your friends, right?" 

"Whatever you want." 

The three vampires stood there for a second, grinning at each other. 

"Now, the only hard part…" Spike said. 

"What's that?" Layla asked. 

"Finding a living roommate who'll put up with the three of us." 

"In other words," Angel added, "one that already knows about vampires." 

* * *

Chloe ate her lunch in sullen silence, slumped over her food at a table in the crowded student union building's cafeteria. She took a slow bite, then spent another couple of minutes pushing her food around with her fork. In truth, she didn't have much of an appetite. 

"So talk," her friend said, leaning across the table. "There's obviously something on your mind." 

Chloe sighed. "It's just…I can't live with her anymore!" 

"What did she do this time?" Ronya asked, having heard stories of Chloe's roommate many times before. 

"It's not what she did, it's who she did," Chloe said in disgust. Ronya winced visibly. "I mean, that girl has no clue how to write the words 'do not disturb.' And I never, ever, wanted to see her boyfriend-of-the-week's naked ass." 

It took pretty extreme events for Chloe to even mildly curse. Her tirade was pretty good evidence of how upset she was. "Have you thought about changing rooms?" 

Chloe shook her head regretfully. "There aren't any rooms available." 

"How about moving off campus?" 

"I wish!" Chloe said easily. "But I don't have a car. Plus, you know, cost." 

Ronya sat back in her chair, chewing her lip and seeming to contemplate something. 

"What is it?" Chloe asked at last. "Do you know something I don't?" 

"Well," Ronya said slowly, "I heard something through the grapevine of sorts." At Chloe's look, she sighed. "I overheard my dad talking about it." 

"Talking about what?" Chloe asked warily. 

Ronya paused for a second. "Okay, so maybe I didn't just happen to overhear my dad. I mean, he was talking to Mom and he turned to me – kidding, you know? Like, 'Say, you wouldn't happen to know anyone looking for an apartment who'd be willing to live with three vampires?'" 

Chloe nearly choked on her drink. "Excuse me? Three _vampires_?" 

Ronya shrugged. "That's why I was hesitant to tell you about it." 

Chloe nodded, rubbing a hand over the side of her neck. She'd known about vampires for several years now. People always warned you about muggers at night in the city, but they never warned you about vampires. The one that had attacked her that night had quite nearly made a meal of her, and Chloe had a faint scar on her neck to prove it. She'd fortunately known just enough self-defense to break the vampire's hold and run into a nearby church. Now she knew more than enough martial arts to take care of herself should the situation call for it. 

When she'd left home to go to school, she'd made friends with Ronya. It was when Ronya picked up the large cross that her Jewish friend had dropped that they discovered they had a supernatural interest in common. So Ronya knew that Chloe had a reason to have issues with vampires. She also knew that Chloe could take care of herself. 

"It's all right," Chloe said at last. "Tell me more." 

"Well, apparently the apartment is just a short walk from campus. They're three vampires, like I said, and they're specifically looking for a human roommate," Ronya said slowly, trying to remember all of the details. "It's not like they need anyone to pay rent – they're older ones, so they've saved well. You'd only have to pay a little bit so that it's your residence. Besides, you already pay a ridiculous amount for on campus housing, right?" 

Chloe chuckled. "That's true. So why in the world do they want a human roommate? It's not so that there's an easily accessible meal lying around, right?" 

"They want someone who can take care of daytime sort of things," Ronya explained. "At least, I _think_ that's what my dad was saying." 

Chloe shook her head. "How does your dad find out about these things?" 

Ronya grinned. "He runs in strange circles," she said. 

"You're telling me!" Chloe replied. "Well, go on, get me their phone number. Anything will be better than the roommate situation I'm in now!" 

* * *

_Why the hell did I decide to do this?_ Chloe found herself thinking as she stood in the apartment complex's parking lot. In the late afternoon the trees cast dark shadows around the first building's lower story. It was actually a very nice little complex, made up of several small three-story buildings. Each apartment had its own entrance and a small patio or balcony. 

A lot of the apartments had plants and furniture out on their balconies; there was even the occasional bicycle. Not so for the apartment Chloe was going towards – its differences were noticeable from the sidewalk and Chloe knew exactly what they meant. There were no plants on the patio; very few could have survived in the extreme shade, anyway. As for furniture, there was only a single, weather-beaten chair. 

Beyond the apartment regulation white blinds, Chloe could see heavy fabric curtains. Others probably wouldn't notice, but Chloe knew what she was looking for. The doorway was almost completely in shadow, under the stairs to the upper apartments. Unlike its neighbors, there was no cutesy welcome mat outside. 

On the whole, it wasn't exactly a welcoming image. 

Chloe hesitated for a second before knocking on the door. She knocked very sodtly, having to constantly remind herself what awaited her if she went back to the dorms. Still, at that moment she was more than willing to turn around if no one answered the door. 

There was only a second's pause before the door opened a hair. There was a moment's pause before the door opened more, presumably to judge the depth of the shadows. Then the door opened fully and Chloe was struck speechless. Whatever she'd been expecting, this…quite handsome man (no, vampire) wasn't it. 

_Is there a rule somewhere that all vampires must be gorgeous?_ Chloe thought despite herself. _That's just not fair._

"Yes?" he asked after a second, the hint of amusement in his eyes making her painfully aware that she'd been staring. 

Chloe fought not to blush. "I…I'm Chloe. I called about the apartment?" She hesitated. "The roommate situation?" 

The dark haired vampire smiled so slightly Chloe wasn't sure if she was imagining it or not. "We spoke on the phone," he agreed, standing aside in implicit invitation. "I'm Angel." 

Chloe entered, closing the door behind her. The apartment was relatively plain, furnished almost exclusively in older cast-offs, well worn and comfortable. Despite the lack of natural light, the apartment was surprisingly warm. An older television set was on, the volume low. The interior of the apartment did not match the exterior, surprising her. 

"Do you want something to drink?" Angel asked, walking ahead of her into the small white kitchen. 

Chloe hesitated in the doorway. What do you ask a vampire for to drink? What did they have to drink besides blood? "Uh, water…please," she stuttered. 

Once again she was startled when Angel grabbed a bottled water from the fridge and poured her a glass full. Chloe smiled a bit nervously as she accepted it. There was a long pause. 

"So," Angel said at last. Then he seemed to loose whatever he was going to say. 

"So," Chloe replied, half prompting. Angel flashed her a slightly nervous smile that was instantly endearing. "You don't do this often, do you?" Chloe found herself teasing. 

Angel smiled. "No. I'm not exactly a people person. Or…at least, not recently." 

Chloe was baffled by that. If he was so awkward at this, why wasn't someone else doing the roommate interviews? Well, she'd never know if she didn't ask. "Then why…?" 

Angel understood. "I'm more of a people person than they are. Plus, I'm an early riser." He paused again, and was suddenly all business. "You understand that this is an…unusual situation." 

"You mean the fact that I'm considering living with three vampires? Yes, I understand." 

"Do you?" Angel asked seriously. "What do you know about vampires?" He sat on the couch, not breaking eye contact. "I don't mean to be rude, but I don't want to worry about your safety, either." 

"Do I have to?" Chloe asked, just as serious. "Worry about my safety, I mean?" 

"Not with me," Angel replied quickly. 

"What about the other two?" 

"Spike can't hurt you," Angel replied, smiling slightly. "Layla can, but she won't as long as it's in her best interest to keep you around." 

As honest answers went, that wasn't exactly comforting. "I know enough about vampires," Chloe said at last. "I know that you don't turn into bats or fly. I know how one becomes a vampire, and I know how to kill a vampire." She paused. "I can take care of myself. I've done my research." 

"Yet you don't wear a cross," he pointed out. 

"I'm Jewish. My mother would throw a fit if I started wearing a cross." 

Angel smiled, no longer so serious. "Fair enough," he said, then stood again. "Come, I'll show you around. Then, if you still want it, we'll talk about logistics." 

"I want it," Chloe said quickly. 

"Even knowing what you'll be living with?" he asked in surprise. 

"You haven't seen what I'm living with now," Chloe replied. "As long as I don't see any blood spilled, you don't start entertaining victims in the apartment, and my neck stays off limits…" she chuckled to soften her statements. "I can deal with a couple of demons and some heavy curtains."   


* * *

  
**_The End...of this story_**   
_More stories in the series to come. I hope you liked it!_

   [1]: mailto:angelsgoodfairy@buffymail.com



End file.
